Some people retire and move to Florida where they idle away the days and to a degree stop learning and growing even though there is so much available to stay active and fully alive. Cathy Bruno, a friend to this blog who lives in the Bangor area has just retired and has started a Blog to document a new career as a musician, how she is going about adding to her knowledge by returning to college and by being active in the Church as a singer and an organist. She is, from several conversations we have had, a remarkable Maine Woman who is not going to stop growing. God has Graced Cathy and her Bolg is well worth visiting. If you add your email in the box on the upper right of Cathy's Blog you will be notified of new posts and be able to follow how her life is unfolding.
Here is the address: http://CathyJBruno.blogspot.com/
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All photos are mine unless otherwise noted and can be viewed full screen by clicking on any image.
Well we have had what some call a two or three times a century ice storm leaving the State in a frozen pickle even almost a week after the event. A lot of power was lost everywhere and will not be fully restored for some until the weekend, almost ten days without electricity. We had three outages, two for a short duration of a few hours, and all of Christmas Eve until morning arrived. We are luckier than many and Lee and I were grateful to be without power as we had a chance to not turn on anything electronic and play a few games - Scrabble and a word card game - along with connecting by talking without distractions from any screen. We still had heat and water even though we were prepared to go a distance without because of much practice through vacations in a non-electric tent cabin on Campobelo Island off the coast of New Brunswick.
When there was sun Acadia National Park was where we spent two wonderful days in a story book Winter Wonderland that was truly unparalled in my memory for Nature's beauty. All the ice is still on the trees and every twig that manages to stick its head above ground as it has not gone above freezing since the storm. The latest weather says more sub-freezing temperatures for a while yet.
Life in Maine in the Winter means that getting outdoors is where the beauty is, so we go unless the roads are a problem. This rarely happens as we had ten inches of snow last night and the roads were almost completly clear at 7:30 this morning when Lee went to work.
Here are a few photos taken after the ice storm:
Every tree, branch, twig, exposed grass, house, overhead wire,
tomb stone, cat or dog left out overnight, car, and on and on,
was covered with the same amount of ice you see on the twig above.
My year end postcard from Maine
Every blade of grass ----
Eagle Lake, Acadia
every tree covered in ice
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The last rays of the Winter setting sun
have the ability to take one's breath away
the Gift of God's Beauty -
No charge for anyone.
(Schoodic Point, above and below.)
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For some this is all the beauty of Winter
seen by indifferent eyes while grumbling about the weather.
For some, Winter and snow is simply trouble and bother.
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Something light by way of a suggestion - go out at night and read to the animals.
They do enjoy a good story!
Peace until next week,
Bill Lagerstrom
